Articles Gears Tactics

The best strategy games of the past decade—from classic RTS titles like Age of Empires 4 and Tempest Rising to the global empires of Crusader Kings 3 and city-building hits like Cities: Skylines and Manor Lords. The strategy genre is alive and thriving—over the past ten years, so many worthy titles have been released that they’ll provide hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gameplay. This list is updated regularly. This version features 41 games, organized by subgenre, including highly anticipated releases from 2024–2026: Manor Lords, Frostpunk 2, Tempest Rising, Cataclismo, Menace, and Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2.

The best tactical games reward planning over reflexes — here are 24 turn-based tactics games and TRPGs for PC and consoles, from XCOM 2 and Jagged Alliance 3 to Unicorn Overlord. Victory here does not belong to whoever clicks faster, but to whoever plans every move several steps ahead: assessing positions, calculating risks, and making smart use of cover and squad abilities. One wrong order, and a favorite fighter may be left on the battlefield forever. This ranking features 26 of the best tactical games for PC and consoles, divided into five categories: story-driven tactical RPGs, mercenary squads, military and sci-fi tactics in the spirit of XCOM, real-time stealth tactics, and compact tactical puzzle games. The selection ranges from genre classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics and XCOM 2 to new releases from 2025–2026. The list was updated in May 2026.